World Central Kitchen names new field kitchen after Polish volunteer killed in Israeli airstrike

World Central Kitchen (WCK) has named its new field kitchen after Damian Soból, a Polish volunteer with the organisation who, along with six colleagues, was killed in Gaza in an air attack by the Israeli army earlier this month.

“Damian’s Kitchen,” WCK’s third high-production kitchen, is being built in Mawasi, central Gaza.

WCK, which provides humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza, has also announced that it is resuming its activities after a nearly month-long suspension that followed the attack by Israel’s armed forces, the IDF, on 1 April.

“We continue to grieve and mourn the loss of seven of our friends and colleagues who were killed in an IDF attack,” WCK wrote in a statement published yesterday.

“We have spent the past few weeks honouring the lives of Saif, Zomi, Damian, Jacob, James, John, and Jim,” the organisation said, adding, however, that the humanitarian situation in Gaza “remains dire”.

WCK has decided to resume its activities and said that it has “276 trucks, with the equivalent of almost 8 million meals, ready to enter through the Rafah Crossing”. The construction of a new kitchen is also part of the NGO’s renewed activities.

“The Mawasi Kitchen is affectionately known as Damian’s Kitchen, being built to his favourite saying, ‘No Problems, Only Solutions’,” WCK wrote. In addition to the three high-production kitchens, the organisation operates 68 community kitchens.

According to a different post published by the NGO, called “A tribute to Damian”, the 35-year-old from Przemyśl in southeastern Poland joined WCK shortly after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Soból volunteered in his home town, which became an important hub for Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war.

Later, Soból worked with WCK in Greece following wildfires and in Morocco and Turkey after devastating earthquakes.

“No matter where he was in the world, Damian could find or fix whatever was necessary – even if he had to build something from scratch… He was the builder, plumber, welder, electrician, engineer, boss, confidant, friend, and teammate. Nearly anyone he worked with would tell you he’s the closest thing to a superhero.”

“In Gaza, Damian worked tirelessly to make the impossible possible through innovation. Among countless feats, he helped install a water filtration system on the roof of one of our largest kitchens and supported the team in serving millions of Palestinians in search of safety and a warm meal,” they added.

Among those attending the funeral in Soból’s home town of Przemyśl earlier this month were the Poland President Andrzej Duda and the Palestinian ambassador.

Since the incident, the IDF has expressed “sincere sorrow” over the deaths and pledged to carry out a “thorough and transparent” investigation. The event, however, has led to increased tensions between Poland and Israel, with Warsaw demanding an explanation and Polish prosecutors launching a homicide investigation.

As well as the incident itself, Polish leaders criticised the response of Israeli ambassador Yacov Livne, who initially refused to apologise for the strike and accused some Polish politicians of antisemitism. Subsequently, Livne was summoned to the Polish foreign ministry, where he delivered an apology.

However, Poland has also made clear its support for Israel’s right to defend itself, including following Iran’s recent mass drone and missile strike on Israeli territory.

Warsaw also said it will donate $2 million to UN agencies providing aid in Gaza, the World Food Programme (WFP) and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

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Main image credit: World Central Kitchen

Alicja Ptak

Alicja Ptak is senior editor at Notes from Poland and a multimedia journalist. She previously worked for Reuters.